Metallic foams offer a combination of attractive properties such as low density, good specific mechanical properties, fluid permeability, high surface area, good thermal resistance, high electric conductivity, high energy absorption characteristics, etc. These materials have already been considered or used in various applications including structures, biomedical implants, high specific surface electrodes or catalysts, fluid control device, cryogenic gas storage applications, thermal protection systems, etc. This paper presents the properties of titanium foam structures produced using a powder metallurgy approach. A metallic powder, a solid polymeric binder and a foaming agent are dry-mixed and molded into the desired shape. The molded powder is then heat-treated to foam, debind and sinter the material. Porous titanium structures with porosity between 50 and 70 percent were produced using this approach. This porous titanium manufacturing process offers significant production flexibility for the development of various applications. The foams can be easily machined, used as a coating on dense structures or coated with dense material. This paper presents the evolution of the structure during the process and the properties (structure, chemical composition, density, permeability, specific surface area, compression behavior) of titanium foams produced under different conditions. Prototypes (orthopedic and dental implants) produced using this process are also presented.
展开▼
